The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Degree of success?
Peterborough’s new university plans are vital for the future prosperity of the city. The Full Business Case for the project has been published and, here, Joel Lamy takes a closer look potential benefits and earmarks some areas of concern around the project...
When Peterborough voted for devolution and an elected mayor in 2016, it was on the promise that it would get a fully-fledged, independent university.
Indeed, just last year it was promised that the long-awaited ambition would see the first students pouring in from 2022 and the new higher education facility becoming fully independent by 2025.
So there was some surprise when, last month, it was announced that what had been earmarked as the University of Peterborough was now going to become ARU Peterborough with the curriculum delivered by Anglia Ruskin University already has a campus in the city.
What can now also be revealed is that the technical university based around The Embankment will not become fully independent until at least 2032, with a final decision only made following a review in 2028.
The information is contained in the Full Business Case (FBC) for the project which has been released into the public domain and highlights a number of other concerns and potential benefits of the project, including several related to Covid-19.
Among the key findings are:
• Students attending the university will register with Anglia Ruskin and receive a degree from it until at least 2030 as the centre will not have its own degree-awarding powers before then
• A review will be held in 2028 to decide whether the university should become independent of ARU, with the expectation that it becomes fully independent in 2032 – seven years later than originally planned
• The anticipated number of students is lower than originally expected, reaching just over 5,000 by 2028 compared to the original target of 12.500 by the same date
• The university will lead the recovery from the coronavirus locally
• The expected shortfall in students would reduce the economic benefits of the new campus from just over £1.1 billion to just over £400 million
• Tuition fees will average £9,000
• The proposed curriculum “deviates significantly” from what was originally anticipated, with a much highwhich er percentage of students on campus
• The university is only expected to make a tiny profit each year, despite having a very low budget for maintenance works
• Covid-19 provides a number of risks and opportunities, both in terms of student numbers and encouraging people locally to sign up
• The university will only open on time in 2022 if there are no further delays in the current process
• Ambitious plans are in place to team up with an ‘Innovation Partner’ to significantly boost business growth in the region
• The university will be crucial in fuelling the coronavirus recovery locally, with a series of workshops having already taken place on how to respond to the pandemic
The decision to delay the university becoming independent and having full degree awarding powers was made last year, around the same time the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority– he mayoral body overseeing the project – decided to dispense of previous academic provider University Centre Peterborough and find a new partner.
This was despite UCP being on the verge of applying for degree-awarding powers itself and having created its own board to oversee the project.
The Peterborough Telegraph can reveal that nearly £1.4 million was awarded to UCP by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the county’s mayoral body, before it replaced it with Anglia Ruskin.
UCP was removed after behind-the-scenes disputes between stakeholders, although
‘We shouldn’t impoverish further education to progress higher education...’
political leaders later insisted that all problems had been resolved.
It was announced this week that the centre has become part of the Inspire Education Group alongside Peterborough Regional College and Stamford College.
Professor Sir Les Ebdon, chair of the council of UCP, said: “We wish ARU Peterborough well but we want to stress that UCP will be continuing.
“We are recruiting students this August and we have a record number of applications.
“We will have over 800 students in September and plan to have over 1,000 in the next couple of years.
“We will be a significant higher education presence in Peterborough – student focused, focused on our strengths like computing and business and seeking to work in a complimentary way with ARU.
“I think they are brave in these uncertain and difficult times for higher education, but there’s clearly a need for a significant increase in higher education provision in Peterborough, although I wouldn’t want it to be at the expense of further education in the region.
“We shouldn’t impoverish further education to progress higher education.”
When UCP was removed as the academic partner for the university a tender process opened up to find a replacement.
The FBC indicates that three prospective bidders submitted expressions of interest, with ARU proving to be the only one which was: “able to successfully complete all stages of the process and satisfy all the requirements of the tender”.
Despite this, risks remain. These include, according to the report, whether:
• Higher than anticipated levels of growth in student numbers will be able to be accommodated
• The form of education provision will reach underrepresented and local groups of students and meet the needs of the region’s businesses
• The “marginal surplus” generated each year will be “sufficient to generate a sustainable, independent university in the long term”.
The combined authority believes the changes for higher education as a result of the coronavirus pandemic – which could result in a drop in student numbers – means that the new university will be more vulnerable than had previously been forecast, which is why it is delaying its move towards independence and partnering with a larger and more established academic provider.